All Roads Lead Back To You
by QueenoftheWilderwest
Summary: Somehow, no matter what, Hiccup and Astrid will always be together. A collection of Hiccstrid oneshots. [30 Day Fic Challenge]
1. Island

_This month I decided to do a 30 Day Fic Challenge, in which I used a word generator to come up with 30 words that I would then write a Hiccstrid oneshot based on each. I initially was going to upload these separately, but then decided to upload them all together. Sorry for the confusion! I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 **Day One: Island**

"Hiccup?"

"Mmm?"

"Where's the path back to the mainland?"

Hiccup's eyes were shut, his head laid back against the grass, chin lifted up so the sun could warm his face. "It's to the left of us. Back by that misshapen rock and the tree that looks oddly like Snotlout." His voice was far away, right on the edge of falling asleep. He wouldn't be ripped from his nap just yet.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice in the matter, as no sooner had he spoken was Astrid shaking his shoulders.

"Hiccup, it's not there anymore," she said. "The path is gone."

"It can't be gone," Hiccup mumbled, his eyes still closed.

"I'm telling you, it's _gone_!"

Her voiced was laced with panic, and there was an urgency to the way that she was shaking his arm, so his eyes slipped open and he squinted out at the horizon. Nothing but glittering blue ocean as far as the eye could see. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, but no, the image was still the same. There was the misshapen rock, and there was the tree that looked oddly like Snotlout, but no path. Their way back to the mainland had been completely cut off by water.

Hiccup rose to his feet. "Maybe we're remembering it wrong," he said. "Maybe it was on another part of the island."

Astrid clicked her tongue against her teeth. "So, you propose we wander around until we find it?"

"I guess?"

They wandered around the edge of the island as the sunlight dwindled. It wasn't long before they had done a full loop, arriving right back to the place they'd started.

"How can a path have just disappeared into the sea?" Astrid said, a worried hand carding through her hair.

Hiccup was stroking his chin in thought. "I think Fishlegs has told me about this before," he said, "He talked about islands that are only accessible at certain time. The tides shift during the day and block them from the mainland."

"Oh." Her voice turned dangerous, then, her words dripping with accusation. "And who's bright idea was it to come here without our dragons?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" He blushed, folding his arms and looking away from her. "We never get a moment's peace with Toothless and Stormfly around."

Astrid sighed. "What do we do now?"

"Could try calling for the dragons?"

"They'll never hear us from this far away."

"Then I guess we just have to wait until the path clears again," Hiccup said.

"What do we do until then?"

A grin tugged at Hiccup's lips, and he slid an arm around Astrid's waist, pulling her closer to him. "Well, y'know..." he breathed into her ear, "a whole island to ourselves, just you and I..."

Astrid rolled her eyes and pushed him away. "Anyone would think you planned this," she muttered, but she was smiling.

"Honestly, I'm as surprised as you are."

They wandered around the island a little more, before they found a spot at the top of the cliff, overlooking the path towards the mainland. The two of them sat in the grass, Hiccup wrapping his arms around his legs, his head bowed slightly.

"Astrid, I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I know this isn't how you wanted today to go."

"Hey," she said softly, reaching out a hand and lacing her fingers with Hiccup. "Being trapped on an island aside, it is really, really nice to have some time alone with you."

Hiccup rested his head on her shoulder. "Feels like something goes wrong every time we get together."

"We're hopeless."

"We're basically star-crossed."

"The bards will sing about our struggles."

The two giggled, and Astrid shifted closer. Hiccup slid an arm around her.

"I've been thinking," Hiccup said, "what happens if we get stuck here all night?"

Astrid looked up at him, eyes glittering. "I guess we'll just have to share our body heat..."

She pulled him close, and the pair of them got lost in a kiss.


	2. Warm

**Day Two: Warm**

"How many times do I have to tell you, Hiccup?" Astrid said, crossly. "I'm _fine_."

Hiccup ignored her, bustling around the hall and wrapping another blanket over Astrid's shoulders. She was sat huddled up on a bench beside the fire, hair free from its braid and hanging bedraggled down her shoulders, dripping water down into her lap.

Not an hour beforehand they had been out on patrol, flying low between rocks and cliffs, looking out for enemy ships and trouble ahead. It hadn't been pleasant: a storm had broken out whilst they were in the air, and a thunderclap had surprised Astrid, so much so that her fingers slipped from their hold on the saddle and she'd gone toppling down into the sea below.

She hadn't been struggling in the water for long; Stormfly dived after her as soon as she'd lost her balance, and she'd been back up in the air in less than a minute, unscathed, but soaking wet. As soon as they'd touched down on Berk, Hiccup had been fussing all over her, making sure that she sat down in front of the fire, and stealing every blanket on the island to warm her up.

"I'm fine," Astrid said, for the third time. "Hoffersons don't suffer from their falls."

Hiccup stopped flitting around the room to give her a stern look. "You have to warm up, or you're going to get to ill."

"You sound like a nursemaid," Astrid grumbled. "Or my mother."

"Just stating facts," Hiccup said, and added another log to the fire.

Astrid scowled. "I'm _fine_." Fourth time.

"You're shivering."

"I'm not shivering."

"That was a shiver, right there!" he said, pointing accusatorily at the slight movement she'd made.

"I was adjusting the blanket. Blanket _s_ ," she said. "I'm drowning in wool. _Will you just sit down_?"

He'd gone back to pottering around the hall, nervous energy bubbling in his movements. He gave a reluctant sigh, and dropped down beside her.

"Sorry," he said, carding a hand through his hair. "Something about you getting hurt makes me crazy."

"I'm not hurt. We were so close to sea, Stormfly had me back up before I'd even realised I'd fallen," she said.

"There were so many rocks that you could have hit."

"But I didn't."

"But you _could have_."

Astrid sighed. "I'm sorry for making you worry," she said. "But you know stuff like this is going to happen, right? We're Vikings-"

"-It's an occupational hazard," they said in unison. Their eyes met, and they both smiled.

Hiccup found Astrid's hand underneath all the blankets and wound his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I don't mean to fuss. I've seen you fall too much. I think my heart stops every time."

"I like to think I'm really good at it at this point," Astrid said. "I've never hurt myself falling. At least: not much."

"I'm inventing something to help you hold on better."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "If it makes you feel better, Hiccup."

"You're supposed to be getting warm."

She sighed again, but this time it was more fond than anything else. She shifted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He looped his arm around her.

"Has anyone ever told you that you radiate heat like a dragon?" she muttered into his neck.

An amused smile tugged at Hiccup's lips. "No."

"Well you do," she said. "It's no wonder you and Toothless get along so well."

She snuggled closer, and the two of them sat in comfortable silence for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the fire. As the minutes passed, Astrid's limbs relaxed, and she let out a contented sigh.

"I love you," she mumbled. "Even if you are a fusspot."

He smiled. "Love you too."

"Y'know, Hiccup," she said, her eyes shining as she rested her chin on his shoulder, "there are other ways we can keep warm..."

Hiccup didn't reply, just responded with a kiss.


	3. Chief

**Day Three: Chief**

"Hey, have you seen Hiccup anywhere?"

Astrid stopped in her tracks, arms full of weaponry, as she headed towards the armoury. Valka was standing there, wringing her hands together, looking somewhat awkward. She was still getting used to village life – she'd been away for twenty years and there were so many things that she had to relearn and get used to all over again. She tended to tip-toe around the place, not wanting to step on anyone's heels.

"Wasn't he supposed to be with you?" Astrid asked.

Valka nodded. "Yes, but he never showed."

"Yeah, he does that." Astrid frowned.

"Do you know where he could be? There's supposed to be a big town meeting tonight, and-"

"Don't worry," Astrid said. "I have a pretty good idea of where he might be."

She turned on her heel without another word, and dropped off her stuff at the armoury, before heading straight to the stables to find her Nadder. She and Stormfly were up in the air in a matter of minutes, heading across the other side of the island.

They touched down at the lake – the place Hiccup and Toothless had first met – and she found him sitting on a rock, his chin pressed to his knees as he skipped a stone across the lake. It bounced twice before sinking underneath the water.

She joined him on the rock. He didn't say anything, but shuffled over to give her more room.

"Your mother's looking for you," she said.

He made a non-committed noise at the back of his throat, skipping another stone across the water.

Astrid didn't press further. She waited.

Eventually, Hiccup sighed. "I can't do it."

"Can't do what?"

"This!" he said, waving his hands in the air. "Being a chief! Making speeches, making decisions! Everyone out there is always watching me, always waiting for me to fix something. Every time I leave the house, I can feel everyone's eyes on me. It's like they're waiting for me to make a mistake!"

Quiet fell. Neither Hiccup nor Astrid spoke. The wind rustled in the trees. Somewhere in the distance, Stormfly and Toothless were playfighting.

"Pass me a stone," Astrid said.

"Sorry?"

"Pass me a stone."

Hiccup passed her a stone from the little pile he'd made on the edge of the rock. She took it in her hands and skipped it across the lake. It bounced five times.

"I'm not a chief kind of person, Astrid," Hiccup said. "I'm a dragon-training, flying, disappearing kind of person. I wasn't meant to lead. I can't be my father."

"You led us pretty well when we lived on the Edge."

"There were only six of us then. Not an entire village."

"It's the same principle."

"It's not the same!" Hiccup snapped, throwing a handful of stones across the lake.

They each fell without a single bounce, splashing down and disturbing the still water. Hiccup's hand hovered in the air, before it fell to his side. His fringe slipped over his eyes as he bowed his head.

"Why are you trying to psych yourself out?"

Hiccup's hands curled around the edge of the rock. "I'm not."

"You are," Astrid said. "You're trying to tell yourself that you're not right for this, but Hiccup-" she reached out and grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers together— "You've proved it to us over and over again that you _are_ right for this. You've been doing it since you were fifteen years old. The day you refused to kill a dragon was the day you turned this village around, and everyone knows it."

She shifted closer, taking his other hand and forcing him to look up at her. "Hiccup, you're right. You can't be your father, because you're _not him._ And he's not what we need right now. You threw us into a whole new world when you saved Toothless, and Stoick did an amazing job of adapting to it, but he couldn't bring us forward. _You_ can. He knew that, and he knew you were capable. That's why he was going to step down."

She shifted closer still, moving down onto her knees so that she was looking up at him. "When you trust your instincts, Hiccup, you've never lead us astray. And no one's saying you have to do this alone," she said, reaching out and placing a hand over his heart. "I'm not going anywhere."

Hiccup placed his hand over hers. "Okay."

"Okay?" A smile spread across her face.

A small one peaked at his lips. "Okay."


	4. Scheme

**Day Four: Scheme**

"We need to talk about the elephant in the room," Heather said, addressing the room.

"What elephant?" Tuffnut said, jumping up and twisting this way and that, looking all around the room. "There's no elephant here!"

"It's an expression."

"Ah." Tuffnut stroked his chin. "So it's an _invisible_ elephant."

"No, it's-"

She was interrupted by Tuffnut taking on a battle position, his fists raised in the air and waving at nothing. "We're onto you!" he yelled at nothing.

Heather rolled her eyes. She'd gathered the whole group together – sans Hiccup and Astrid – for a very important meeting, and she was already gaining so much respect for the two of them. How they managed to keep this rabble together on a daily basis was a mystery to her; she'd only had them there for two minutes, and Tuffnut and Ruffnut were causing trouble, Fishlegs was edging away to get back to enjoying a mud bath with Meatlug, and Snotlout had his legs tossed up onto the table, his eyes closed like he was ready to take a nap any minute. Hiccup was some sort of miracle worker as far as Heather was concern.

"This is serious!" Heather said, slamming her fist into her palm.

That got everyone's attention for a moment, but it was clear that she only had precious seconds before it was lost again.

"It's about Hiccup and Astrid," she said.

Fishlegs was the only one that seemed remotely concerned. "Are they okay?"

"They're fine," she said, hastily. "I mean, it's about Hiccup and Astrid, romantically."

A collective "ohhhhh," ran around the room.

"Oh," Heather said, "you've all noticed it too."

"Obviously," Snotlout said from his corner.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut nodded.

"Well, yeah," Fishlegs spoke up. "It's been obvious since they were fifteen."

"They're always running off together," Snotlout said. "Making googly eyes at each other."

"So, don't you think we should do something about it?" Heather said. "We need to hatch a plan to get them to admit their feelings, once and for all!"

Fishlegs sighed, dreamily. "I do _love_ love," he said.

Heather held her hand out in front of everyone. "So, everyone in?"

Fishlegs put his hand in immediately.

Ruffnut shrugged and put hers in. "Sounds fun," she said.

Tuffnut followed suit. Snotlout was the last to do the same, slowly moving out of his seat, as if forced. "Yeah, I got nothing better to do," he said, hiding the delighted smile that threatened to spill across his lips. He'd been waiting forever for those to losers to get it together.

Heather beamed. "Alright," she said, huddling the group together and leading in close. "Here's what we're gonna do..."

* * *

High above the hall, Hiccup and Astrid sat cross-legged on the roof, just within earshot of the meeting below.

"Next time Heather decides to host a secret meeting, she should do it somewhere more private," Astrid said, a grin tugging at the edge of his lips.

"No kidding," Hiccup said. "Do you think we should tell them?"

Astrid shook her head. "Nah. Let them have their fun." She looked down at where their fingers were intertwined. "Besides," she said. "I'm interested to see what kind of scheme they cook up."

Hiccup laughed and pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.


	5. Halloween

**Day Five: Halloween**

The leaves were withered, crunching underfoot. Astrid was a few paces ahead, a torch in hand as she ducked under branches and climbed over tree roots, as nimble as a dear. Hiccup lagged behind, arms folded over his chest. He'd already tripped three times.

"Come home for reading week," he was muttering to himself. "It'll be fun. You'll get to see all your old friends again. Nothing bad will happen."

In front, Astrid's jaw clicked. "Are you gonna keep whining?"

"I didn't sign up to die in some dumb Halloween dare."

"You're not going to ruin this for me," she said, twisting back to glare at him.

Even by the dim light of the torch, Hiccup could make out Astrid's face, streaked with Halloween make up, her blonde hair loose down her shoulders. Even now, even in the dark, it made his tongue go dry and his brain a little fuzzy.

 _Get it together_ , he told himself, firmly. _You're supposed to be over this._

"It's not going to be my fault when we both die of exposure," he said.

Astrid sighed, turning on her heel. "We're not going to die."

"Do you even know where you're going?"

She didn't answer.

"Great," Hiccup mumbled, wrapping his arms tighter around himself and shivering.

"Have I ever done you wrong, Hiccup?" she said.

"I'm not sure you want me to answer that."

There was pause, and then Astrid grinned. "I missed your sarcasm," she said. "Hell, I missed _you_."

Hiccup blinked. "You did?"

Astrid stilled, turning back to look at him again. "Yeah. 'Course I did," she said. "It's not the same without you here."

Hiccup was glad it was dark, so she couldn't see him blush. "I..." he began, and then trailed away. "I didn't really want to come back."

"I don't blame you," she said, flatly.

She went on trudging through the woods, the grip on her torch firmer. He had to scurry to catch up.

"I missed you too," he said, but it was too late, the words fell flat in the air.

They kept on in silence for a few metres before Hiccup spoke again.

"It's strange how much things have changed," he said.

"Have they?" She paused to move a few branches out of the way of the path. "Seems like nothing's changed."

Hiccup gingerly followed her footsteps. "It feels like nothing's changed and everything's changed at the same time."

"How so?"

"I mean..." Hiccup began, and then trailed off, as if thinking of the exact right words to say. "Everything looks exactly the same, but it's like... I don't belong anymore. Like the town moved on without me while I was away, and now I can't keep up with it. Sometimes I feel like a guest in my own home. The people I used to know look at me differently now, like I'm not allowed to be here anymore."

"Well, you did leave," Astrid said, crisply. Her torch flickered, and she bashed it against a tree trunk until it was working properly. "Town's always been very sensitive about that."

"It's not my fault I wanted to go to university," he said.

"And I didn't?" she said, her teeth gritting together. The leaves underfoot cracked louder than before as she stomped her way through the greenery. "You act as if you're the only one who decided to get the hell out. Believe me, Hiccup, I'd jump at the chance if I could."

"That's not what I meant," he said, quickly.

"That's what it sounded like."

Hiccup kicked a pile of leaves up in the air. "You've changed too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hanging out in a whole new crowd," he said. "Disappearing off into woods in the middle of the night. Poking at murder trees."

"Enough," she snapped.

"What are you trying to prove?" he said.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit," Hiccup said.

Astrid's head snapped up, and Hiccup felt a wave of guilt rise up in him. He rarely swore, and he certainly hadn't mean to lose his temper, not with Astrid of all people.

"I just meant..." he began, his voice taking a softer tone. "Why are we going to this length to impress them? Can't we just like, take them out for a drink or something? Seems simpler."

"Ssh," she said, holding a hand up to his chest for him to be quiet. "We're here."

She shuffled forward and Hiccup saw the how the trees thinned, opening up into a clearing, where, dead centre, was the tree.

"Oh good," Hiccup muttered. "It's somehow _more_ terrifying than I imagined."

It was an elm, larger than the other trees they'd been navigating, built out of twisted pieces of gnarled bark. It was hard to see in the dark, but with enough squinting and Astrid's torch, they could make out the hollowed centre of the tree.

"That's... that's where the body was found?"

"Yes," Astrid said, her voice grim. "With a red cloth shoved down her throat."

"Okay. Good. Right," Hiccup said. "Y'know, we could just leave, right? We don't have to do this."

"I'm doing this."

"Good. Excellent."

He watched as she took out a length of white fabric from a pocket, opening up to reveal, 'Astrid Was Here,' scrawled on in sharpie, some rope attached to the end. She put one end in the mouth, handed the torch to Hiccup, and then heaved herself up onto a lower branch of the tree.

She took it out, and looked down at Hiccup. "You not coming up?"

"Bad leg, remember."

"Oh. Sorry."

But he followed her up anyway. There was something about standing in this clearing alone, surrounded by darkness. It felt like the trees were watching him. Something about being close to Astrid made him feel safer; she'd always acted as if she wasn't scared of anything, and even if that wasn't true, it was comforting.

She offered him her hand, and with her help, he hoisted himself up onto the tree next to her.

"You alright?" she said.

"No," he said. "I'm sitting in a murder tree. What's next?"

"Next, we tie this up."

"Y'know, none of them are actually ever going to come out here," Hiccup said. "They're too scared, otherwise they'd have come with us. We could just leave and say we did."

"We're here now, aren't we? Besides, they asked for evidence." She flashed her phone at him. "Take a picture. Make it a good one."

He took a picture of her sitting on the branch, flag brandished high in her hands. Then his eyes focused on something behind her head, and he froze.

"Astrid," he breathed. "Don't turn around."

"What?"

"There's someone here."

She tilted her head the barest inch, and sure enough, she could see the figure, down below them in the darkness, face covered and staring at the tree.

"Do you think he sees us?" Astrid's voice was so quiet, Hiccup could barely hear it, even with her lips next to his ear.

"Leaves might cover us."

"Might?"

"Ssh."

He edged closer, his arm wrapping tight around her waist, pulling her back against the tree branch, using his other hand to move a branch over them, shielding them from view.

Down below, voices trickled through the trees.

One was panicked, snivelling and gasping for air between words: "Please! It wasn't my fault!" and when Hiccup and Astrid peaked through the trees, they saw two more figures, dragging a struggling man, wrists bound by rope. He jerked his hands this way and that, desperately trying to get himself free, but to no avail. The two that held him tight, locked in place. He screamed and writhed, his face bright red.

"Please!" he sobbed, his body shaking. "It was a mistake. You don't have to do this. I won't say anything. I promise. I promise. Please!"

Hiccup's entire body froze, his limbs quivering against the tree. Astrid pressed a palm over her mouth.

Another voice sliced through the air, cold like ice. "How can we be certain?"

His struggles grew more frantic. "You have my word, I promise!"

His captor leaned close, and even this high in the tree, the two of them could see the smile that spread across the man's face. Something about it sent chills all through Hiccup's body.

"Not good enough."

Neither Hiccup and Astrid saw anything. At that point, Astrid had pressed her head tight into Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup had squeezed his eyes shut. At some point, without realising, the two had linked their hands together, holding on tight.

They heard it, though.

The screams ripped through the woods, and Astrid's hold on Hiccup grew tighter, the two of them clutching at each other in stone cold fear. Neither of them dared move, or look up at one other, they just held tight, their eyes squeezed shut as the screams continued.

Finally, painfully, the screams stopped, and the woods fell into silence again.

A few long seconds passed. And then: "Make it quick. I wanna get out of here as soon as possible."

Neither Hiccup or Astrid braved a look, but they could hear something moving down below, and the grunts of two of the men, as if they were picking up a heavy object.

"Wait—" the sounds stopped— "what was that?"

The branch had creaked under their weight. A panicked look passed between the two of them. Astrid pointed at another tree branch. Together, they tried to move, as silently as possible, to safety. The branch creaked even more as they moved, a loud and long one.

Hiccup froze, half way between branches. He locked eyes with the figure down below.

The branch broke. Hiccup and Astrid fell.


End file.
